Monday, September 29, 2008

Numb

So tired in brain and body. Mom's move is complete, the closing's tomorrow. Saturday we moved her with the help of Old Baymeadows movers, Sunday I went back to the house to help her clean. My body's disowning me again. My brain is functioning from some faraway place where my reserve stores are kept. And our own apartment needs attention next. We inherited a rather large cabinet, whose use has yet to be fully determined, and a typewriter table which will become my sewing machine table. The stuff we've inherited also spreads out all over the dining area, and some remains in the car still. We have some work ahead, organizing, culling, purging...

I'm glad it's fall, just wish I lived elsewhere. I love that it's almost October already, and I'm getting the itch to bake stuff involving apples and pumpkin, squash and breads. Saying prayers that the temperature starts dropping...

Friday, September 26, 2008

P.S.

Definitely rallying a bit...there's this "we're in the home stretch" feeling today...

Just bought my ticket to see the Yarn Harlot on 10/16...hoping to find her new book this weekend...

Check out KnitWitz for more information on the Yarn Harlot's visit to Jacksonville :)

Super fast update

Mom's moving tomorrow (Saturday)...

Been kind of numb this week...hoping once we get past Saturday, I'll rally more.

Work's painfully slow, scary slow.

Barely been knitting...started reading Eragon tho'...really lovely writing.

More soon...

Monday, September 22, 2008

Spent

...because the word exhausted just doesn't define it well enough...

At this point in "life post-Dad," the catharsis has past and been replaced with something else...I'm not sure what, but I experienced it this past weekend, as we set out our belongings for strangers to paw through and run off with, for pennies on the dollar. There was an initial feeling of violation, coupled with that fear of change feeling, because of course, we wouldn't be doing this if we didn't have to...in Lyons utopia, Dad's still with us and the garage isn't an issue. The misanthropy I felt had to be curbed fast though, because in spite of the early rain, folks showed up in droves Saturday morning and there was no time for emotion. We made enough on Saturday alone to almost fully finance Mom's move, and it's a good thing, because we learned that Southerners don't tag sale on Sunday. I guess between church and football season, driving around looking for deals takes a backseat. I wish we'd made more money of course, but I was so exhausted Sunday, it was hard to care.

The new owners of Mom's house want the cabinets that we couldn't unload, as well as the radial arm saw. That's a relief, as we'd rather that went to someone who'll use it, rather than donate it somewhere where it could be trashed for appearing obsolete. It's a 35 year old saw probably, but it still works. The pile of stuff we dragged down to the end of the driveway for the neighborhood vultures to pick over was remarkably small, though my car is stuffed with junk to go to Goodwill in the next day or two, plus some more stuff for Chamblin's.

I'm tired. Haven't knitted in a week and the apartment is trashed...will start picking through stuff in another day or two, creating my own piles for Goodwill.

Friday, September 19, 2008

An open letter

To the handful of Jacksonville locals who read this blog:

Hey gang!

So, you get done with Pagan Pride Day over at Riverside Park, or seeing Obama over at Met Park, and can't decide what to do next.....how 'bout a garage sale in Marietta!

We're garage sale-ing at my mom's Saturday and Sunday 9/20 & 21 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. It's a pretty hilarious pile of stuff...if you have any interest in electrical work, plumbing, or hardware, you may be in heaven. There's also furniture, stuffed animals, and a serious "please take it off our hands" mentality, as Mom moves next weekend.

99 Devoe Street....take I-10 West to the Marietta exit and bear left. Go straight at the Cahoon Street light. At the Beaver Street light, stay straight, go into Marietta Forrest development. We're the grey house on the right about 4 or 5 houses down with the crap laid out all over the driveway and the exhausted looks on our faces.

Coming from 295...exit at I-10 West and Marietta will be your first exit...may not even have to merge.

Looking forward to seeing y'all and completely understand if you closet cases steer clear ::wry grin::

Melanie

Thursday, September 18, 2008

I'd like about a two-day nap...

Well, I'm back. SC is cool and pretty. You smell nature instead of cars.

The garage at Mom's feels like a frigging disaster area, but on Saturday and Sunday, it'll be garage sale time. I'm still a little tired from SC, so it's hard to think about the next 3 days. We just got back last night and there's several things I want to try to sell at the garage sale, that are currently in our apartment. This makes the next 2 evenings rather challenging. Thank goodness I don't have time to think about baking anything...

I like Aiken, I love getting away from Florida and driving up there and listening to critters and hugging trees...the cotton was up, and the air was missing the ole wet wool blanket of humidity. But this sure wasn't a pleasure cruise. We were there to help take care of Grandma, age 80-something, who recently underwent medical procedures, and our niece, age 2, who spends her days glued to the TV because her parents suck at parenting and have substance abuse issues. It was a very frustrating 2 days, where I managed to hold my tongue, but came away deeply angry at how they've already ruined our niece in some ways and are slowly killing themselves while manipulating everyone around them. I'd love to take that kid for about a month of reprogramming....the niece, not the sisinlaw...Sisinlaw definitely needs professionals. Ah, family...can't wait til Xmas...

So Husby and I are very glad to be home, but the next 2 weeks are kind of overwhelming...worst of it will be this weekend, the garage sales. Mom's hiring somebody for the actual move, so next weekend will be more about helping her settle in. Man, it'll be nice having her on my side of town!

Friday, September 12, 2008

I'm a rock star!

Well, not exactly, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...

Just kidding. What I did do, through the highly skilled method of replying, was win Two Frog Home's Fall giveaway. How neat! And with the month I have ahead of me, it'll definitely be something to look forward to in the mail. Thank you, Kathie!!

Husby's off in SC (well, I'm assuming...haven't heard from him yet, as he's likely sleeping off the train orneries at his Lil Sis's)...

Back to work :(

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Busy...

Very small word, very large tasks ahead...

Lemme see if I've got this straight:

Tonight:
1. Shop for cell phone.
2. Hide little notes throughout Husby's luggage.
3. Drop Husby at train station.
4. Sigh repeatedly on drive back.
5. Bounce off the walls for an hour, then crash.

Friday:
1. Work (bleh!)
2. Wait for Aunt Flo to make an appearance. Significant mood shift anticipated depending on her punctuality.
3. Clean litter box.
4. Throw clothes together for weekend...drag laundry down to car tonight.
5. Quality time with Fig.

Saturday:
1. Over to Mom's early, talk lists, breakfast, organizing stuff...
2. Go out to garage, move crap around, and sweat copiously.
3. Haggle with Lil Bro about stuff going into storage.
4. More organizing, dragging stuff to store back into house, so it's not mixed in with potential garage sale stuff...
5. Talk signage, cash box, layout for next weekend.
6. Hang out with Mom and Lil Sis sleepover-style...pass out from exhaustion before movie is half over.

Sunday:
1. Repeat Saturday.
2. Go home to apartment, repack.
3. Top off food, water, place surprise cat treats around apartment.
4. Quality time with Fig, pass out.

Monday:
1. Up at the crack, drive to SC.
2. Reunite with Husby, big hugs to Grandma.
3. Play with niece, give her lots of outdoor time (because she doesn't get enough normally).
4. Keep mouth shut around difficult family members.
5. Count the days til Wednesday.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Relief and overwhelm-ment

My mom sold the house! Well, not quite...closing's not til 9/30. But they showed it on Saturday, the young couple fell in love with it on sight, and offered the asking price! Holy crap! And woohoo! Mom's so high, it ain't even funny. Actually, it's wonderful :)

Which means we can't put off the garage sale any longer, and we need to make some significant decisions. It means cutting the cord on a lot of big items. It means rearranging our apartment to accommodate the stuff I do want to take. It means rearranging our schedules, working full weekends for the next month at Mom's.

We're supposed to go to SC next weekend and into the following week to help out his family while Mom and Dad J go on a trip. That's up in the air now, and dependent on Grandma, who ended up in the hospital this past weekend with internal bleeding because a medical clamp somehow found its way into her stomach. I doubt the family will get a straight answer from the docs on how that happened; it could've been a necessary device left in from her gall bladder removal approximately 2 years ago, or it could've been a big oops. Kind of a non-issue, since Grandma's not the suing type according to family, but considering the pain she was in...

So she's still in the hospital, they endoscoped her to remove the clamp (breaking an endoscope in the process!), and her discharge from said hospital may dictate if Mom J goes on the trip. Grandma's 87ish, so any recovery will take awhile. We may have to send Husby up on the train, and then I'll follow him up that Monday.

Garage sale's scheduled for Saturday, September 20 and probably Sunday, September 21. I'll post more about that as we get closer, for you local folks. In the meantime, we have to organize the garage for said sale, make all the decisions on what's staying and going, etc. Mom's moving the next weekend (27th), so it's definitely crunch time. She put down her (post-dated) deposit for an apartment up the road from me, and she's so frickin' happy and relieved, and can't wait to get a little dog...ironically, it's in the same complex I moved into when I first moved out of my parent's house 15 years ago. We've come full circle in some weird way.

My birthday's tomorrow...I told the gang at work I wasn't turning 39 until I was pregnant, so they could relax on the celebration. We're going to lunch Thursday anyway :(

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Masochist

Not too much going on, but thought I'd touch base...holiday weekend was quite relaxing, though that brings with it the usual guilt because we still live in a clutterpile. Started a couple of new knitting projects, but my interest is relegated lately to a row here, a row there...still thinking about sewing, but too chicken to cut into any fabric...

The masochist subject line is because I made the mistake of watching House last night...I don't know that it can be called a mistake, because I enjoyed every minute of it and felt it was quite well-written and acted. But it was last year's season finale, where a character who had grown likeable dies of multi-system organ failure, and the "let's try this, no let's try this," nature of the storyline brings me back to Dad, and I had some good cries, which left me feeling drained today. And just when I'd like to turtle and just get my work done, we're having tours with a major partner today and I'll probably have one shadowing me, seeing how we do things...so I'm feeling a little stressed.

I'm such a pussy. One of the reasons my blogging has slacked is because I can't stand the diary/journal nature of it, would rather be informing the public in some way like Elements in Time or Soule Mama. I know I have something to say, but too often it gets muddled down by my mood swings. So if I'm sporadic for a piece, it's because I'm doing some thinking. Or because we're wringing out from TS Hanna...